I work for an organisation that provides real work experience for people with learning difficulties, physical disabilities or mental ill health issues in agriculture and horticulture. We work in a therapeutic environment and give adults the confidence to be independent and encourage people to prosper by cultivating social skills while providing a safe working environment that still has the normal sales pressures of any successful business. Over several years we have many success stories to tell of people that have grown with us to become valuable members of society and have progressed into work. We have been operating in Cambridgeshire for over 22 years and have a wealth of experience in our highly skilled and caring team. And we are one of many like-minded and experienced organisations in Cambridgeshire.

Yet still parents and carers don't know about us

Are we not marketing ourselves to the right people? We have Facebook and Twitter pages, we hold open days for Care Managers and Transitions Teams, we advertise in the local press, we have a presence on Cambridgeshire.net, we are approved by Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils, we network at Service Providers Meetings, we attend care reviews for our service users, we attend opportunities evenings at schools and send out regular newsletters about our successes.

Yet still parents and carers don't know about us

Local Authorities, of course, run their own services and with the introduction of personalised budgets have shifted focus away from the traditional day care centres and the frankly awful images these conjure up of adults sitting around all day with minimal, uncaring support. Cambridgeshire County Council are in the process of setting up new, person centred services in newly refurbished buildings that will provide person centred activities such as Out and About (for access to community activities) Achieve and Gain (preparation for work) the Live to Learn (for autistic spectrum) and Daybreak Opportunities (for physically challenging group)

Local Authorities employ the Care Managers and Transitions teams that set up care plans and set budget amounts for the care plans. Local Authorities will run staff induction courses for their Care Managers and Transitions teams where, naturally, these services will be promoted.

Yet still parents and carers don't know about us

My organisation, and many others like us, would like to see our organisations promoted fairly and consistently when care plans are drawn up. With the high turnover of staff at Local Authorities, organisations constantly find themselves dealing with different individuals and see the time and effort put into fostering relationships become futile. Every time a new Care Manager or Social Worker is appointed you have an obligation to promote your organisation once more and every time a new Care Manager is appointed invaluable local knowledge is lost.

Time for change

With the introduction of personal budgets, people have more choice than ever about what they want to do and when they want to so it. Promoting goods and social care services, learning and training opportunities, employment support and leisure activities through the old system doesn't work effectively.

There is a real need for an accessible directory for carers and parents to make their own informed choices, a directory that is constant and doesn't rely on individuals, one that is regulated by the very people that provide the many excellent services for people of all abilities in Cambridgeshire and one that everyone can access.

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